Niagara Falls Reviews (Niagara Falls, Ontario)

Day trip to Niagara

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

October 11, 2010

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo On the second day of our visit to Toronto, we rented a car from Enterprise (there's an office on Simcoe Place, just down from Union Station) and planned to drive to Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake for the day. And it was raining. Hard. But ...Read more On the second day of our visit to Toronto, we rented a car from Enterprise (there's an office on Simcoe Place, just down from Union Station) and planned to drive to Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake for the day. And it was raining. Hard. But since we had the car already reserved we went anyway. We picked up the Gardiner Expressway and it takes you all the way down, along the lake to Niagara. We thought about going to Niagara-on-the-Lake first but missed the turn so went to the Falls first. It was not raining much by then. There's a large parking lot across from the main visitor centre and it will cost you $18 to park. That's high but you can leave it there all day if you plan to go around to all the attractions. There's a shuttle bus that goes to all the various things to do in the area and there's a stop by the parking lot.

That wasn't on our agenda but you have to park somewhere so we paid up and walked across to the visitor centre. As it was still raining a bit, we had lunch in the restaurant there. Not cheap but it was pretty good anyway. We went out to take photos of the falls and it had stopped raining by then. We walked along, taking pictures and looking down at the roiling water on the river that swirled around the Maid of the Mist boats with all the tourists in blue rain slickers lining the decks. It looked a bit cold and blustery to be doing that today so we chickened out. Might have been ok on a sunny day but a chilly, rainy October? Nah...

The falls are pretty impressive, though. There's two sections, one on the Canadian part of the river and one on the American side. The US/Canadian border runs right down the river here. The American falls are smaller though just as high as the Canadian ones which are wide and curved and are called the Horseshoe falls.

The rest of Niagara Falls, the city, has plenty to keep the tourist busy including a Marineland, a casino, a cable car over the rapids downriver, an observation tower, Clifton Hill lined with attractions and theme restaurants and more. It's a bit tacky and tourist trappy, really, but the falls are worth seeing.

From there we drove along the river to Niagara-on-the-Lake, a very pretty town where there are lots of nice shops and a few restaurants. It was rainy at first so we ducked into a few shops and then had coffee and very rich chocolate cakes in an Irish Tea Room at the back of a store that sold Irish imported goods. The rain let up so we window shopped and picked up a few souvenirs but didn't stay too long as it was damp and chilly. This is a lovely town to visit though can be very busy as there are tourists by the busload dropped here for shopping.

This is also the wine country and there are dozens of wineries that you can visit for tours and tasting. We didn't do that as the weather wasn't really inviting but it's worth going back sometime.

We ended up driving back to the city early, having seen what we wanted to and not really enjoying the weather so much. It was raining when we arrived back so we just picked up some sandwiches to eat in the hotel room. Later, we met up with another friend after he got off work and had a nice visit for an hour or two.

Wednesday was the end of the too-short trip. Back to the airport via the airport express bus and back to Halifax! Close

From journal Toronto in October

Magnificent deluge

by MagdaDH_AlexH

Perth, Scotland, United Kingdom

March 28, 2010

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo We travel to Niagara Falls from a rainy Toronto on the second day of our stay in Canada: a slightly mad, jet-lagged venture that we came up with separately. Having checked out of the hotel in which we spent our first night, we wait for a response ...Read more We travel to Niagara Falls from a rainy Toronto on the second day of our stay in Canada: a slightly mad, jet-lagged venture that we came up with separately. Having checked out of the hotel in which we spent our first night, we wait for a response from our potential Couch Surfing hosts and instead of hanging round Toronto, we decide to just go for it an visit one of the biggest tourist attractions of Ontario and possibly the whole North America.

We walk to the bus station across Toronto downtown, Katie exclaiming in wonder on the sight of every tall building. The bus leaves in half an hour and the kind clerk in the ticket office sells us a "child" ticket for M even though he's twice the allowed age. So we are riding the Greyhound! The bus is pretty shabby, despite going all the way to New York, but the seats are comfortable (and noticeably wider than on Thomas Cook plane that brought us here), fold out far and have quite a bit of leg room.

The rain becomes heavier as the bus moves along the coast of Lake Ontario, so there is not much of a view. We strike a conversation with two fellow passengers, are presented with recommendations for British Columbia and for today's trip to the Falls and a bag of salty sesame snaps.

As we get off the bus, the sky clears a little and the driving rain changes to drizzle. We choose to walk and the river soon appears, with a narrow pavement skirting the very edge of the gorge.

This is a wonderful way to approach the falls, a walk of about 3 miles, along the bank of the river, with not much traffic and hardly any other pedestrians. The street is lined with smart houses, clad n clapboard and with pretty porches, most of them hotels and Bed and Breakfasts, but the real attraction s the gorge. The naked trees and bushes make it possible to look down. There is still quite a lot of ice, accumulating in patches of dirty white and cream, but the water is also visible, greenish blue, opaque and opalescent, even in the feeble winter light.

K is excited and interested, stopping every few minutes to take pictures with her new(ish) camera. M demands to be carried, as usual, but not all the time, so things are not looking badly.

The curve of the Rainbow Bridge appears eventually round the corner and with it the gaudy developments of the Canadian side of the river: huge hotels, casino towers, restaurants and other amusements. It's all rather excitingly kitschy: here is America as I imagined it, in all its brash, huge wealth.

But it's enough to look past the bridge and to the other bank of the river to see the other side: not just oversized fast food chains, but also incredible, undoubted, overwhelming in fact majesty of the Falls themselves. The roar can be heard before the waterfall is actually visible, and the cloud of mist in the air precludes the actual appearance of the falls too. But then they appear: and, countless pictures, films, postcards and posters notwithstanding, they are still amazing. First are the American Falls, at 320m wide, the narrower of the two,but still incredibly impressive. The piles of snow surrounding the waterfall, the icicles and frozen parts of the waterfall itself add to the drama.

We spend a good while staring at and listening to the American falls and then make our (by now a little bit weary) way to the larger of the two, the Horseshoe Falls located a few hundred metres up the river on the other side of the tiny Goat Island and opposite the Table Rock observation platform and visitors' centre. The Maid of the Mist boats don't operate at this time of the year or this our, and the other Falls-related attraction (the tunnel for example) also seem closed now, so we trample about in increasing rain and just look: and despite the clouds of freezing mist enveloping the falls whose middle is completely shrouded and large parts appear only ghost-like, the view is very compelling. I like the Horseshoe Falls better, possibly because there are quite a few angles from which you can see the falls in a natural frame, without any buildings in the background. The winter landscape adds a desolate flavour to the setting and one could - just - imagine that the casinos, hotels and amusements are not there. In fact, one doesn't even need to imagine that - they are there, in all their over the top gaudiness - but it doesn't matter. The phrase "pales into insignificance" seems invented for this moment. The Falls win over the brash resort that grew up to watch them, every time.

It's raining now, and getting colder by the minute, the children don't want to walk back and neither do we, so after a round of picture taking we catch a taxi to the bus station and take a rainy ride back to Toronto and our first Couch Surfing hosts. Close

From journal Toronto 2010

Shopping, Sightseeing, and Cold Weather

by Wasatch

heber ctity, Utah

December 4, 2009

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo The advantages of visiting Niagara at Christmas are these: 1] prices are low, 2] there is no wait for a table, nor no need for reservations for dinner, 3] you can saunter into the Skylon for lunch when you feel like it without a reservation, 4] the ...Read more

From journal Shopping in America for Visitors

Walk or Ride - See Both Countries!

by J'aimeParis

Cincinnati, Ohio

October 3, 2008

Email
Print

I flew into Buffalo NY and drove maybe 45 minutes to the US park. The last part of the drive is along the Niagara River. As you make that drive you can feel the energy level escalate. The energy at the Falls is palpable and creates a very positive ...Read more

From journal Experience the Energy of Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls USA - A Walk in the Park

by J'aimeParis

Cincinnati, Ohio

October 3, 2008

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo In Niagara Falls NY there is not nearly as mush to do (as in canada) outside of going to the Park and Goat Island. Walking around and beside the American Falls and crossing the bridge over the Niagara River to Goat Island was very nice. The air was ...Read more

From journal Experience the Energy of Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls Canada - More to Do!

by J'aimeParis

Cincinnati, Ohio

October 3, 2008

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo In Niagara Falls Canada there is plenty to do. Keeping in mind I was there in late November, all of the restaurants I saw were open, although hours were abbreviated and some had smaller menus. Can't blame them. There is a variety of food selection ...Read more

From journal Experience the Energy of Niagara Falls

A Walk Along the River

by weeblewobble46

Marietta, Georgia

July 20, 2008

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo Put on your walking shoes and leave the "tourist trap' areas of Niagara Falls. Head for the wide walkway that follows the river's course. Take your time and enjoy the verdant surroundings and the stunning views of the falls and the river. Start ...Read more

It's Big! It's Wet! It's Wonderful!

by weeblewobble46

Marietta, Georgia

July 20, 2008

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo Taking the boat ride into the swirling mists at the base of Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side of the Niagara River is a journey of faith. Nothing can prepare you for the pounding water and battering winds that you encounter while you stand on ...Read more

From journal Niagara Falls Experiences

I Would Rather Go in the Summer

by sandyjtc

Plainfield, Illinois

June 7, 2008

Email
Print

No real complaints about the falls but we were there on a cold day in the spring and with the wind blowing so hard we really did not want to stay around all that long. My only regret is that we did not go there in the summer time.

Niagara Falls

by RoBoNC

Indianapolis, Indiana

March 3, 2008

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo Who hasn’t heard of Niagara Falls? It is a natural wonder that should be one of the great ones ranking up there with the Grand Canyon. They are massive waterfalls which are known for their beauty as well as an excellent source of hydroelectric ...Read more Who hasn’t heard of Niagara Falls? It is a natural wonder that should be one of the great ones ranking up there with the Grand Canyon. They are massive waterfalls which are known for their beauty as well as an excellent source of hydroelectric power. Niagara Falls, largest waterfall in North America, is usually compared to that of Victoria Falls in Africa, the largest waterfall in the world.

Niagara Falls straddles the US/Canadian border and it has become a tourist attraction for millions of people annually. On either side of the Falls are the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario and Niagara Falls, New York. While there is two sides to Niagara Falls, most anyone who has visited them, will say that the Canadian side offers the best experience and view.

Niagara Falls is divided into two sections, Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side and American Falls. Horseshoe Falls drop 173 feet compared to the American Falls which drop 70 feet. Horseshoe Falls is also 2600 feet wide compared to 1,060 feet on the American side.

The spectacular views from the Canadian side also explain why the twin cities look so different. On the American side, the city looks like any average city. However, the Canadian side, and more specifically the neighborhood of Clifton Hill, is a tourist mecca. It is a bustling tourist area packed with restaurants, wax museums, haunted houses, as well as Ripley’s Believe it or Not and the Guinness Book of World Record museum. Along with the many hotels in the area, all of the shops are in easy walking distance, not to mention the Falls.

We found ourselves visiting Niagara Falls at the beginning of January. With the weather at 20 degrees, it was no wonder that the tourists had fled. We literally could not have picked a better time to visit. There were no crowds, traffic moved smoothly, and we were able to experience the Falls for what they were, a display of nature’s energy. The Falls drop so high that the mist is constantly coming down like a never-ending rainstorm. As we were leaving, I noticed a rainbow which I hear is not uncommon for this area. But there was something about it. I had never seen a more clearly defined rainbow with a beginning and an end. The rainbow stretched from one side of the falls to the other. That rainbow with the falls crashing behind it only added to the beauty of this natural wonder.
Close

From journal Father & Son Trip to the Northeast Part 1

IgoUgo

Niagara Falls

Avg. User Rating:

User Reviews

Day trip to Niagara

Magnificent deluge

Shopping, Sightseeing, and Cold Weather

Walk or Ride - See Both Countries!

Niagara Falls USA - A Walk in the Park

Niagara Falls Canada - More to Do!

A Walk Along the River

It's Big! It's Wet! It's Wonderful!

I Would Rather Go in the Summer

Niagara Falls

Compare Rates Across Websites

Niagara Falls

What's Nearby?

Nearby Things to Do

Popular Niagara Falls Hotels

Popular Things to Do in Niagara Falls

Avg. User Rating:

User Reviews

Day trip to Niagara

Magnificent deluge

Shopping, Sightseeing, and Cold Weather

Walk or Ride - See Both Countries!

Niagara Falls USA - A Walk in the Park

Niagara Falls Canada - More to Do!

A Walk Along the River

It's Big! It's Wet! It's Wonderful!

I Would Rather Go in the Summer

Niagara Falls

Compare Rates Across Websites